Global Pet, Animal Brands Celebrate Wins At 2023 - 2024 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Animalis Edition at the 2023 - 2024 World Branding Awards saw 100 brands from 30 countries named as winners in a glittering ceremony held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.

Buddy Brands, Coo & Riku, Dymax, FRONTLINE, Hikari, Kaniva and Taiyo were amongst the brands announced as winners, cementing their position as the top in their industry.

Winners from Singapore include Pet Lovers Centre, Dymax, Happi Doggy, Kit Cat, NurturePro, Gold-D and Fresh N Marine. Other National tier winners include Coo & Riku (Japan), DeliBest (Switzerland), Global Pet Foods (Canada), Halti (United Kingdom), Heads Up For Tails (India), Kelly & Co’s (Thailand), PowerCat (Malaysia), TopBreed (The Philippines), and VanCat (Turkey).

In a statement, World Branding Awards said the third installment of the award welcomed pet and animal brands worldwide, celebrating their achievements as National, Regional, and Global Winners.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Howard Nightingall and welcomed winners across various categories, such as pet food, retail, wellness, and aquatic products, among others.

World Branding Forum Chairman, Richard Rowles said the Animalis Edition of the Awards are an acknowledgement to the tireless effort of the teams that build and maintain their brand presence in an ever changing market.

“As winners, these brands have established strong brand recall, top-of-mind awareness, and trust among their consumers,” he said.

More than 100,000 consumers participated in a global online survey and nominated over 1,500 brands.

As the 2023 - 2024 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition draws to a close, the eagerly anticipated Global Edition of the World Branding Awards will return to the stage in November in Kensington Palace, London.

-- BERNAMA

PubMatic Introduces Unified Self-service Advertising Platform For Commerce Media

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) -- PubMatic, an independent technology company delivering digital advertising’s supply chain of the future, has launched Convert, a unified self-service advertising platform for commerce media.

Built on PubMatic's global cloud infrastructure, Convert is tailored for commerce media networks and their advertisers, enabling both onsite and offsite monetisation, including sponsored listing ads and connected TV (CTV).

According to PubMatic in a statement, Convert helps commerce media networks leverage their valuable first-party data for audience extension at scale across the open internet.

“Data access, monetisation, and control are critical for commerce media networks and their advertisers, and PubMatic has a strong history of leadership and innovation in these areas.

“By making substantial investments in developing customised technology with Convert, we are confident in our ability to continue to drive increased value for our customers,” said PubMatic Vice President of Addressability and Commerce Media, Peter Barry.

Leading industry brands, retailers, and advertisers such as IPG Mediabrands, Coles 360, dentsu, Lyft Media, MiQ and Wallapop have joined PubMatic as partners in the development and announcement of its commerce media platform.

The new offering is built for both traditional retailers as well as a wide variety of transaction-based businesses such as transportation or food delivery providers, travel companies, or any scaled Internet company that processes transactions.

Empowering commerce media networks with a single, self-service platform that streamlines the complex and fragmented commerce media marketplace, Convert brings together essential monetisation and optimisation capabilities across sponsored listings, CTV, video and display ad formats.

An unbiased, privacy-centric full-stack solution, Convert ensures transparency in fee and pricing structures along with automation and scalability for commerce media networks and advertisers.

The new platform complements PubMatic’s existing commerce media capabilities offered via Connect, the omnichannel addressability solution launched in 2022 that enables data access and control on the sell-side, closer to the consumer.

-- BERNAMA

2023 CTBC FINTECH SUMMIT PRESENTS PROMISING PERSPECTIVES FOR TAIWAN’S FINTECH INDUSTRY

 

Business Weekly and CTBC Holding extended a special invitation to Global fintech trend development specialist Chris Skinner and other industry, government, and academic specialists to share their views on fintech trends in Taiwan. (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The 2023 CTBC Fintech Summit, being the first of its kind, showcased the vibrant innovation scenes in the local fintech ecosystem and was a great success with over 2,500 in-person and online participants attending the event.

Co-organised by Business Weekly Taiwan and CTBC Financial Holding Co Ltd (CTBC Holding), the summit focused on topics of financial innovation and sustainable development with “Fintech for Good” as the theme.

According to a statement, Business Weekly Taiwan and CTBC Holding extended a special invitation to global fintech trend development specialist, Chris Skinner to share his views on the future trends in fintech with participation from other industry, government and academic specialists, during the event.

In his opening remarks, CTBC Holding President, James Chen said CTBC strives hard from multiple angles to comply with the government’s policy to promote the digital transformation of Taiwan’s financial sector, bringing the country in line with international banking standards.

Meanwhile, Skinner had insightful discussions on how financial organisations can consolidate technology and sustainability, and believes that “banks aren’t going to disappear.”

During the panel discussion, CTBC Holding Chief Technology Officer, Titan Chia explored various topics with National Chengchi University Fintech Research Center Director, Jennifer L. Wang; Microsoft Taiwan General Manager, Sean Pien; and McKinsey & Company Partner, Charles Tan.

The second half of the summit was dedicated to remarking on innovative results. CTBC has come out with six scenarios for use in tandem with the exclusive Apple Messages for Business app.

The company also extended an invitation to Carl Wegner, Chief Executive Officer of Contour, the digital trade finance platform to give a talk explaining CTBC Holding’s experience in pairing with 20 international banks to create the world’s largest blockchain trade and finance platform.

In addition, Carl-Johan von Uexkul, Chief Commercial Officer of Doconomy, the green tech startup, was also invited to discuss the carbon footprint-reducing services performance of CTBC’s personalised services and Renewables Trading Blockchain Platform.

As the partner of CTBC Holding, Business Weekly Taiwan is happy to see the advancement of its future-facing fintech technology as it strides towards sustainable development, receiving international recognition and accolades.

-- BERNAMA

BlackRock, Jio Financial Services Form Joint Venture To Enter India's Asset Management Industry

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Financial technology provider, BlackRock and Jio Financial Services Limited (JFS) announced an agreement to form Jio BlackRock, a 50:50 joint venture combining the respective strengths and trusted brands of BlackRock and JFS.

The joint venture is to deliver tech-enabled access to affordable, innovative investment solutions for millions of investors in India, according to a statement.

Jio BlackRock brings BlackRock’s deep expertise and talent in investment management, risk management, product excellence, access to technology, operations, scale, and intellectual capital around markets, while JFS contributes local market knowledge, digital infrastructure capabilities and robust execution capabilities.

Together, the partnership will introduce a new player to the India market with a unique combination of scope, scale and resources with both companies targeting initial investment of US$150 million each in the joint venture. (US$1=RM4.52)

“We are very excited to be partnering with JFS to revolutionise India’s asset management industry and transform financial futures. Jio BlackRock will place the combined strength and scale of both of our companies in the hands of millions of investors in India,” said BlackRock Chair & Head of APAC, Rachel Lord.

Meanwhile, JFS President and Chief Executive Officer, Hitesh Sethia said: “The partnership will leverage BlackRock’s deep expertise in investment and risk management along with the technology capability and deep market expertise of JFS to drive digital delivery of products.

“Jio BlackRock will be a truly transformational, customer centric and digital-first enterprise with the vision to democratise access to financial investment solutions and deliver financial well-being to the doorstep of every Indian.”

The joint venture will launch operations post receipt of regulatory and statutory approvals, with its own management team.

-- BERNAMA

PLANVIEW OFFERS INDUSTRY-FIRST CONVERGENCE OF PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, AGILE PLANNING

Connect software delivery to business outcomes with visibility across the lifecycle of your strategy – from planning to delivery to business impact. Use proactive and predictive value stream management insights to pivot plans and drive on-time delivery (Graphic: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) -- Planview has announced a first-to-market offering, Digital Product Insights, that combines portfolio management and agile planning with delivery insights from value stream management and objectives & key results.

Planview is the first and only company in the market to provide organisations with connected, data-driven visibility across the lifecycle of a strategy, effectively connecting software delivery to the business with a comprehensive view of impact and objective performance.

According to a statement, this announcement delivers on Planview’s digital connected work mission by giving companies a concrete way to break down organisational silos with a single view of shared metrics and business outcome insights.

Planview Chief Executive Officer, Razat Gaurav said: “For far too long, a black box has existed between business strategies and how software is delivered against them.

“Planview delivers an innovative way to leverage predictive delivery insights and sentiment details and put them back into portfolio, value stream, and team plans, helping organisations create faster feedback loops that yield better decisions and deliver better outcomes, ultimately shining a light on that black box.”

One of the key data inputs into the new Digital Product Insights is artificial intelligence (AI) powered sentiment analysis, which crawls comments for positive, negative or neutral language to provide a holistic view of plan performance, to further support proactive, data-driven decision making and confident delivery predictability.

Complementing this functionality, Planview is announcing two additional innovations focused on delivering data-driven visibility to further strengthen the connection between software delivery and business outcomes namely Planview Universal Connector and Roadmaps for Teams.

Planview Universal Connector, available via select Planview partners, extends connectivity across the enterprise toolchain, allowing organisations to continue their use of in-house or industry specific applications as part of their value delivery, while seamlessly connecting into the entire Planview ecosystem.

Meanwhile, used in conjunction with Digital Product Insights, Roadmaps for Teams help organisations translate plans into visual timelines for achieving their business outcomes and completing deliverables.

-- BERNAMA

KnowBe4 and the Mitnick Family Honor the Life and Legacy of Kevin Mitnick

Kevin David Mitnick, 59, has passed away following a year long battle with cancer

TAMPA BAY, Fla. & LAS VEGAS, July 24 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Mitnick Family and KnowBe4 announce the passing of Kevin Mitnick, 59, following a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Kevin fought bravely for more than a year, and died peacefully on Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Kevin will always remain “the world’s most famous hacker” and was renowned for his intelligence, humor and extraordinary skill with technology, surpassed only by his talent as the original “social engineer”. More importantly, Kevin was a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Kimberley, who diligently stood beside him during his battle with cancer. Kimberley is expecting the arrival of the couple's first child later this year.

In November of 2011, Kevin became the Chief Hacking Officer and partial owner of KnowBe4, founded by close friend and business partner, Stu Sjouwerman, who commented, “Kevin was a dear friend to me and many of us here at KnowBe4. He is truly a luminary in the development of the cybersecurity industry, but mostly, Kevin was just a wonderful human being and he will be dearly missed.”

A memorial for Kevin will take place in Las Vegas on August 1, 2023, where he will be buried near his mother and grandmother in a local Jewish cemetery per his wishes. The details of the memorial will be announced soon, including details to allow for his many friends and colleagues to attend virtually.

For more information please contact Kathy Wattman at pr@knowbe4.com | 727-474-9950.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 60,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense.

Contact

For more information please contact Kathy Wattman at pr@knowbe4.com | 727-474-9950.

Source : KnowBe4

Prospective Raises US$6 Mln in Seed Funding

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Prospective, an interactive analytics and data visualisation tool for large and streaming datasets, announced it has raised US$6 million in Seed funding, with the round led by Point72 Ventures. (US$1=RM4.55)

According to Prospective in a statement, the round includes participation from Silicon Badia, Irregular Expressions, Essence Ventures, Giant Machines and REFASHIOND Ventures.

Traditionally, organisations have struggled to efficiently access and analyse the data necessary for their use cases due to limitations in readily accessible processing power and difficulty in publishing insights.

Recognising this pain point, Prospective has built an interactive tool to facilitate seamless data access, analysis and sharing.

With Prospective, users gain intuitive and efficient access to both large and streaming datasets, enabling them to unlock valuable insights in real-time, directly through a user-friendly web browser interface.

By streamlining the data retrieval and operationalisation processes, Prospective empowers builders, consumers and analysts to derive actionable insights that were previously inaccessible.

With the rise of Large Language Models, the gap between model outputs and human understanding is widening. Prospective helps bridge this gap by enabling customers to derive and convey insights in an intuitive way.

Founded by Andrew Stein and Eric Schmalzbauer, Prospective is the enterprise version of the popular open-source data and analytics project, Perspective. Parallel to announcing its Seed funding round, Prospective is also launching a private beta for a limited number of firms.

-- BERNAMA

PUBMATIC EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH IQIYI FOR PROGRAMMATIC TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- PubMatic, an independent technology company announced an expanded partnership with iQIYI International, an on-demand video streaming service, through the implementation of PubMatic’s OpenWrap over-the-top (OTT).

Through cutting-edge technology, iQIYI International delivers relevant and customised premium drama series, movies, variety shows and anime worldwide.

In a statement, PubMatic said after implementing OpenWrap OTT, iQIYI saw a six times increase in programmatic revenue.

“We have been supporting iQIYI for several years as they move increasingly into the programmatic space. “We are helping them lead as a growing global streaming platform while maximising revenue through unified programmatic auctions,” said PubMatic Senior Director, OpenWrap, John Martin.

Meanwhile, iQIYI Vice President International, Frankie Fu said: “We are thrilled with the results we have seen since implementing OpenWrap OTT. We have had an immediate uplift in both bid requests and overall programmatic revenue.

“The PubMatic team worked hand-in-hand with our Southeast Asia and China teams to identify the optimal monetisation setup for our platform, and get it implemented quickly and efficiently.”

OpenWrap OTT is PubMatic’s unified auction solution for OTT and connected TV (CTV) publishers, which offers publishers higher yield via aggregated demand and brand-safe private marketplaces and bespoke deals.

The solution also offers optimised ad pods and a TV-like experience that provide a better user experience, enhance engagement as well as increase revenue opportunities.

-- BERNAMA

CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE VALUE EXCEEDS US$3.3 TRILLION IN 2028 - JUNIPER RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (Bernama) -- The value of cross-border e-commerce will exceed US$3.3 trillion in 2028, from US$1.6 trillion in 2023, according to a new study from Juniper Research. (US$1=RM4.53)

According to Juniper Research in a statement, with disposable income rising in developing markets, e-commerce merchants and marketplaces are pivoting towards them.

Given the prevalence of alternative payment methods in developing markets, such as mobile money, cross-border merchants must effectively match consumers’ payment preferences, or they will quickly lose out to better-localised rivals.

The study also reveals that cross-border e-commerce transaction values to grow by 107 per cent globally over the next five years, while domestic e-commerce transaction values to grow by 48 per cent over the same period, demonstrating that much of the growth in the e-commerce payments market is in the cross-border area.

This is due to the rapid expansion of key marketplaces, and how they have differentiated themselves. Marketplaces must offer a differentiated consumer experience to be successful, but must also add value for merchants, in order to sustain rapid growth.

The research found that in an increasingly social media-dominated advertising landscape, the leading vendors are effectively marketing directly to consumers.

Central to competing with domestic merchants is appealing to digitally engaged users in a direct way, making social media advertising vital for success.

Therefore, cross-border merchants must correctly identify the right social media and digital advertising channels in each market, or risk losing out in the battle for tech-savvy consumers.

-- BERNAMA

JAPAN MARITIME DAILY HOLDS THE FIRST GLOBAL SHIPPING SEMINAR IN SINGAPORE ON 4 SEPTEMBER 2023

Applications have just opened

Valuable discussion for Net-Zero emissions will be held among Mr. Jeremy Nixon, the CEO of ONE, and key global VIP speakers.


TOKYO, July 13 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- On Monday, 4 September 2023, the leading maritime newspaper in Japan, Japan Maritime Daily (JMD) will host the company's first global seminar in Singapore, Future of Shipping towards Net Zero, with the theme of 'Decarbonization for the Future of Shipping'. Co-organized with the Singapore Exchange (SGX), the seminar will show how to achieve shipping carbon neutrality through the initiatives of major shipping companies and panel discussions.

The keynote speaker will be Jeremy Nixon, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ocean Network Express (ONE), who will explain ONE's efforts towards decarbonization.

Following this, SGX Group's Director Kenneth Ng will speak about SGX's FFA (freight futures) product and other topics. Additionally, a team of analysts from UK-based maritime consultants MSI (Maritime Strategies International) will discuss the impact of decarbonization on shipping.

In addition, a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Jigo Hayashi, Joint General Manager of Tokyo Century Corporation's Ship Finance Division, will include Mr. Peter Norborg, CEO of Swire Bulk, and Mr. Sung Yong Do, Managing Director of Meadway Shipping Singapore, on the challenges of decarbonization, including new fuels. A networking party will be held after the seminar, free of charge.

Date and time: 4 September 2023 (Monday), 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm (seminar).
Networking party after the seminar.
Venue: SGX Auditorium, 2 Shenton Way, #02-02 SGX Centre 1, Singapore
Language: English (A summary will be published in The Japan Maritime Daily later.)
Participation fee: Free of charge. Capacity of 100 persons.

[Agenda]
Opening remarks:
Mr. Hidemi Oyama, Chairman and Representative Director, JMD,
Mr. William Chin, Executive Director, SGX Group.
Keynote speech:
"Managing Decarbonization in a Shipping Company" by Mr. Jeremy Nixon, CEO, ONE
"Connecting global trade growth through SGX Freight" by Mr. Kenneth Ng, Director, SGX Group
- Speech 'The Outlook for the Shipping Markets Against a Decarbonisation Backdrop' (MSI)
- Panel discussion
Mr. Peter Norborg, CEO, Swire Bulk
Mr. Sung Yong Do, Managing Director, Meadway Shipping Singapore
Mr. Jigo Hayashi, Joint General Manager, Tokyo Century Corporation (moderator)
Additional speaker or topic to be confirmed.

To register, please apply via https://form.jotform.com/231840106003439

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230710673886/en/

Contact

seminar@jmd.co.jp
+81‐3-3436-3222
Seminar Bureau/The Japan Maritime Daily

Source : Japan Maritime Daily Co., Ltd.

Northern Trust Partners Nus To Support Blockchain Development For Institutional Use

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- Northern Trust, the National University of Singapore’s School of Computing (NUS Computing) and Asian Institute of Digital Finance (NUS AIDF) announced a series of research and industry development initiatives that will advance efforts to define the future of blockchain for institutional investors, via a strategic partnership.

In a statement, Northern Trust global head of Digital Assets and Financial Markets, Justin Chapman said: “The financial markets will continue to evolve rapidly as we embrace technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.

“Our partnership with NUS is an important step in our strategy to provide thought leadership and develop future leaders who will shape the industry. I believe this is only the starting point of a productive collaboration between the two organisations.”

The strategic partnership includes a joint research project on “Custody in the age of digital assets”, investigating different methods for maintaining control and possession of digital assets on third-party blockchains, and ways for clients to achieve a real-time view of assets across digital and traditional markets.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NUS AIDF, a university-level institute in NUS, signifies Northern Trust’s commitment to growing the fintech ecosystem in Singapore.

Northern Trust is currently providing mentorship to Insightic, a RegTech start-up incubated at AIDF, with a distinct focus on risk assessment for Web 3.0-based virtual asset service providers.

The partnership also includes an agreement between Northern Trust and NUS Computing to provide an industry-linked internship opportunity to a student in the Master of Digital Fintech programme, which will expose the intern to critical market advocacy and digital development work that Northern Trust is spearheading in the Asia Pacific region.

With offices across Asia Pacific in Beijing, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Pune, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, Northern Trust has strong relationships with some of the region’s largest central banks, sovereign wealth funds, government agencies and corporations.

--BERNAMA

BOTANEE INTRODUCES FOUR BRANDS AT 2023 INTERNATIONAL SKIN HEALTH SUMMIT

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- BOTANEE Group introduced its four brands WINONA, WINONA Baby, AOXMED and Beforteen for the first time, showing the professional strength of China's leading dermatology enterprises at the 2023 International Skin Health Summit, held concurrently with the WCD World Dermatology Conference in Singapore.

“In 2015, we made our first appearance in Vancouver WCD with the main brand WINONA. After eight years, WINONA has now become the leading brand of functional skin care products in China.

“Invited to participate in WCD three times this year, we brought four core brands. I hope that after four years, it will bring new impacts to WCD in terms of academic, technical, clinical and social impact,” said BOTANEE Group chairman and president, Guo Zhenyu in a statement.

According to the existing epidemiology, the prevalence rate of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children aged one to seven years in China is 12.94 per cent, and in infants aged one to 12 months is 30.48 per cent.

Director of dermatology department of Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Professor Ma Lin pointed out that WINONA Baby Cream can be used as a routine emollient to protect children's AD in remission, which can significantly reduce the risk of recurrence of children's AD in maintaining the therapeutic effect.

With the continuous iteration of the efficacy skin care market and consumer demand, BOTANEE has also been committed to promoting brand building. Thereinto, AOXMED is the ingenious research and development (R&D) of BOTANEE for more than 10 years.

It insists on exploring cutting-edge technology and evidence-based science for the two major consumption scenarios of medical beauty and daily life, and provides skin rejuvenation solutions connecting medical beauty and home beauty in series.

As a brand-new acne brand launched by BOTANEE, Beforteen and the team of experts have conducted case studies on more than one million cases, and combined with the artificial intelligence (AI) consultation session, they can provide users with personalised "food+medicine+makeup" according to different types of acne.

According to BOTANEE's 2022 annual report, the company invested about 255 million yuan in R&D expenses, up 124.96 per cent year-on-year, and the R&D rate reached 5.08 per cent. (100 Chinese yuan = RM64.68)

This year, its new central factory, which cost nearly 500 million yuan, has also been officially put into operation, further escorting the company’s brand product quality and sustainable development.

-- BERNAMA

CONAGEN PAVES WAY FOR TEXTILE REWORKING, RECYCLING WITH NEW SUSTAINABLE DEBONDABLE ADHESIVE

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Biotechnology innovator, Conagen has announced the development of a groundbreaking debondable textile adhesive made from high-performance materials sourced from sustainable and natural biomolecules.

In a statement, Conagen said its debondable adhesive offers a major application in the realm of reworkability during clothing production. Traditionally, when mistakes occur during manufacturing, it can lead to material wastage and additional production costs.

“Conagen's pioneering adhesive has unlocked new possibilities and opportunities. With the introduction of Conagen's adhesive, we are taking a significant stride towards achieving a more sustainable and environmentally responsible textile industry,” said Conagen senior materials scientist, Sara Johnson.

The reworkability aspect of Conagen's adhesive presents a game-changing solution for the clothing industry, allowing for quick and efficient correction of errors without the need to discard and waste valuable materials.

Adjustments can be made by simply debonding the adhesive and the fabric components can be seamlessly reworked, resulting in improved production efficiency, reduced material waste as well as significant cost savings for manufacturers.

Conagen's debondable adhesive not only drives sustainability through fabric recycling but also offers a practical and economical solution for optimising production processes in the clothing industry.

Having previously created debondable adhesives for other sectors, such as appliances, smartphones and cars, Conagen identified the significant benefits such an adhesive could bring to the textile and clothing industry and tailored a new product specifically to its needs.

Conagen’s new adhesive offering provides strength comparable to existing fabric adhesives but with the added feature of controlled debondability at end-of-life.

To develop sustainable debondable textile adhesives, Conagen leverages its precision fermentation technology, independent of plant source materials, to create more efficient and sustainable bio-based ingredients compared to chemically-synthesised versions.

Meanwhile, its vice president of chemical applications, J. McNamara said by harnessing the power of fermentation, Conagen is leading the charge in promoting greener alternatives and revolutionising industries with its commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Conagen's commitment to green chemicals and sustainability has been greatly reinforced by its strategic partnership with Sumitomo Chemical, which represents a major step forward in their shared vision of developing biosolutions for a more sustainable future.

-- BERNAMA

COMMUNITY HEALTH CHALLENGES TO BE HIGHLIGHTED AT GLOBAL CONFERENCE IN SYDNEY THIS OCTOBER

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- The WONCA World Conference Sydney 2023, slated to be one of the largest global conferences for family doctors, taking place from Oct 26 to 29, will be hosted by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

The Asia Pacific region will take an international centre stage for general practice as the global conference of general practitioners (GPs), family doctors and primary health practitioners meets in Sydney to tackle the key health issues being faced by primary care.

Themed, "Recovery, reconnection and revival. A celebration of primary care", the WONCA 2023 will include more than 800 presentations and workshops from over 700 local and international presenters globally.

According to RACGP in a statement, the conference will feature over 50 streams, covering a range of issues being faced by GPs including mental health, women's health, climate change, rural practice and chronic conditions.

RACGP President, Dr Nicole Higgins, said hosting the internationally renowned conference is a chance to showcase Australian general practice.

“The WONCA World Conference Sydney 2023 will bring together GPs, family doctors and primary health practitioners from around the world, and the RACGP is proud to provide a platform to showcase the world-leading practice happening right here in Australia.

“WONCA 2023 is an opportunity for both Australian and international GPs and family doctors to improve their skills, gain international perspectives, and continue to build primary health care practice,” she added.

The conference is set to feature keynote presentations from Professor Michael Kidd AM, one of the Australian Government's Deputy Chief Medical Officers, and Dr Maria Neira, the World Health Organization's Director of the Department of Environmental, Climate Change and Health, amongst a host of other keynote presentations, informative sessions, interactive workshops and exploration of world-leading research.

-- BERNAMA

AM BEST AFFIRMS SOUTH KOREA’S HANWHA GENERAL INSURANCE CREDIT RATINGS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of Hanwha General Insurance Company Limited (HGI), South Korea.

According to the global credit rating agency in a statement, the outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect HGI’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assessed as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management, as well as reflecting the support that the company receives from its parent, Hanwha Life Insurance Co Ltd (Hanwha Life).

HGI’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio, is assessed at the strongest level, underpinned by various capital replenishment actions undertaken by the company in 2022.

Although the company faced pressure on its reported capital from rising interest rates in 2022, AM Best expects the interest rate sensitivity of capital and solvency ratio to be largely subdued under the new accounting and solvency regimes (IFRS 17 and K-ICS), further supported by HGI’s improved asset-liability durations in recent years.

With a five-year average consolidated return on equity of 5.5 per cent (2018-2022), HGI’s operating performance assessment remains as adequate.

Profitability of its long-term insurance line improved materially in 2022 as the accumulated effect of the rate hikes in prior years for unprofitable legacy medical indemnity policies started to materialise.

HGI is the sixth-largest non-life insurance company in South Korea, with a market share of approximately seven per cent in terms of gross premiums written in 2022, as well as a business focus on long-term insurance.

The rating lift considers various forms of implicit and explicit support from Hanwha Life, the second-largest life insurer in the country in terms of premium income, including co-branding to increase operational synergy, product distribution and capital support.

-- BERNAMA

UniPin Ladies Championship For Malaysia, Singapore Qualifier Stage Runs Until July 8

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- UniPin, the digital entertainment enabler in Southeast Asia (SEA) is hosting another ladies’ tournament for the third time in Malaysia and Singapore, after the first one in 2021.

With the support from Domino’s Pizza Malaysia, the UniPin Ladies Championship for Malaysia and Singapore’s qualifier stage takes place from July 4 to 8.

According to UniPin in a statement, the two best teams from this qualifier round will become the country’s representatives for the playoff stage of UniPin Ladies SEA Championship later this October.

UniPin Community Senior Vice President, Debora Imanuella said the UniPin Ladies Series will pave the way for many women e-sports teams to show up and compete in the Malaysia and Singapore’s esports scene.

As a part of the tournament series, Domino’s Pizza is eager to play an active role in addressing the gamers’ needs as pizzas are a gamers’ best friend.

Group Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's Pizza Malaysia, Singapore & Cambodia, Linda Hassan said: “In line with our brand promise of It’s All About You, Domino’s strives to enhance customers’ experience across multiple touch points.

“This partnership with UniPin provides a platform to develop an ecosystem in nurturing players and cater to the needs of women empowerment and support in the esports community,” she added.

UniPin has been facilitating gamers in the SEA region for easier top-up access and hosting several successful female-only tournaments in various Southeast Asian countries.

The company has been focusing on doing mobile games tournaments in the SEA region, with no exception to female-only tournaments.

-- BERNAMA

PROVENIR SHORTLISTED AS LENDTECH OF THE YEAR FINALIST FOR ASIA FINTECH AWARDS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Provenir announced its Data and Decisioning Platform has been shortlisted as a finalist in the “LendTech of the Year” category for this year’s Asia Fintech Awards, an industry award that celebrates Asia’s fintech community.

Provenir’s Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Powered and Risk Decisioning Platform was evaluated based on its ability to meet customers’ needs and requirements, how it can achieve critical mass, and the innovative aspects developed to bring the product to market.

In a statement, Provenir General Manager for APAC, Bharath Vellore said: “We are thrilled to be recognised as a finalist for this awards programme that celebrates the best and brightest of APAC’s fintech community.

“This reflects our growing commitment in Asia to empower lenders in each market with world-class decisioning, comprehensive data and advanced analytics to improve credit assessment on consumers, supporting the underserved population with more equitable lending decisions and providing SMEs access to finance their working capital.”

Winners of this year’s awards will be announced at Asia Fintech Awards’ ceremony on Aug 24 at the Hilton Singapore Orchard.

A global leader in data and AI-powered risk decisioning software, Provenir helps fintechs and financial services providers unlock the secret to smarter credit risk decisioning.

-- BERNAMA 

TRUE HIRES SAM MCGRATH AS GENERAL MANAGER, EMEA & APAC

KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Bernama) -- True, the premier global platform of innovative talent management products and services, has appointed Sam McGrath as general manager, EMEA & APAC.

In his new role, McGrath will work closely with True’s global leadership to maximise the firm’s potential worldwide, in addition to expanding its international executive search business and broader platform of talent management products and services.

He will oversee business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC), which today includes True's offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dubai, London, Melbourne, Singapore, Stockholm and Sydney, whilst ensuring global connectivity with the wider company.

“Throughout his career, Sam has shown a commitment to fostering a high-performance culture focused on people and has demonstrated an ability to translate strategic vision into action.

“Sam will ensure that True continues to grow, while keeping our phenomenal, people-focused culture at the core of our operations,” said its global chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Kate Vanek in a statement.

Meanwhile, McGrath said: “The only thing that impressed me more than the transformation that True is driving within the global talent agenda has been the shared values and ambitious vision among those leading True’s growth.

“I could not be more proud to lead the EMEA and APAC regions, nor more excited to help scale the innovation and transparency True brings to the spectrum of talent products and services.”

Bringing two decades of investment banking sales, operations and risk management to the role, McGrath joins True from Standard Chartered where he held a number of sales leadership roles, and was most recently Head of Non-Financial Risk for the Wholesale Bank globally, and the Europe & Americas Regions.

-- BERNAMA

VISITED APP: MALAYSIA TOPS 10 MOST VISITED COUNTRIES FOR SINGAPOREAN TRAVELLERS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia took the top spot in the 10 most visited countries for Singaporean travellers, published by travel app Visited which allows users to map their travels, browse bucket list destinations and get personalised travel stats.

Malaysia ranks as the most popular destination, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong, China, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States, according to a statement.

Although France is the most visited country in the world, it ranks number seven for Singaporeans as Singapore travellers most commonly visit the nearby Asian countries of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Australia, the most desired destination to visit by all international travellers, ranks as the fourth most popular destination for travellers from Singapore. With their close proximity and excellent airport, Singapore travellers can visit Australia more easily than many other people.

Based on the app’s data, Singapore is the 29th most popular country to visit. Visited is the most popular app by Arriving In High Heels Corporation, a mobile app company.

With over 1.75 million users worldwide, the popular travel planner app allows users to discover dream destinations, mark off where they have been, and get personalised maps.

The app provides travel stats on the top 10 destinations visited, the percentage of the world users have been to, and how close travellers are to meeting their travel goals.

-- BERNAMA

New Features, Capabilities Added To Vonage Conversational Commerce

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications, has added new features and capabilities to its Vonage Conversational Commerce, powered by Jumper.ai solution.

According to Vonage in a statement, with these updates, businesses are empowered to elevate engagement with customers across all channels, with features to enhance mobility via live chat and messaging from any device or platform.

The new Vonage Conversational Commerce mobile app for iOS and Android enables conversational commerce agents to access and leverage live chat features on the go, helping businesses to create meaningful connections with their customers from anywhere.

With the mobile app, these agents can offer immediate support to customers with queries via real-time messaging with the same access to functionality, resources, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer information available on the Jumper.ai unified dashboard.

Meanwhile, with the Vonage Conversational Commerce Attentive Widget, businesses can embed instant messaging widgets anywhere on their website, never missing an opportunity to engage with customers at their moment of interest.

The interactive Attentive Widget helps businesses to start conversations early in the customer journey, facilitating every step of the buying process; add conversational commerce for product placements on third party sites; and improve visibility of new launches and offers.

Vonage Conversational Commerce now also features more messaging capabilities with the addition of short messaging service (SMS) and Google Business Messenger (GBM). Businesses can send messages directly with customers via these channels through a single customer experience management dashboard, as well as create bots for all of these channels with the AI-enabled Chatbot Builder.

Also new to the Vonage Conversational Commerce offering are three modular packages to meet the different needs of businesses today namely Notify; Engage; and Convert.

-- BERNAMA

Aramex Malaysia Inks MoU With Global Systémes Asia To Expedite APAC Logistics Expansion

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Aramex, a global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, and Global Systémes Asia (GSA), one of Malaysia's premier holding companies, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at unlocking vast opportunities in the logistics industry across Asia Pacific (APAC).

Aramex Vice President – South Asia, Samer Hajjar in a statement said this MoU marked the next phase of the company’s global alliances and came in line with its plans to expand its service offerings and presence across multiple Malaysian cities, starting with Penang.

“Building on GSA's first-hand industry knowledge and market experience in the region, and the Malaysian market's strategic location as a hub for Asia Pacific, this MoU will potentially facilitate greater cross-border movements of our products and services across the region, focusing on growth markets and sectors.

“We believe that Aramex's position as a market leader and its strong reputation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey (MENAT), and Africa regions, coupled with its 40 years of experience, will support GSA’s growth plans,” added Hajjar.

The MoU was signed by Chairman of GSA, Datuk Nonee Ashirin and Hajjar, during the 16th Edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2023), held recently in Langkawi, Malaysia.

It signifies a momentous milestone for both Aramex Malaysia and GSA, and focuses on two key areas namely evaluating the appointment of Aramex Malaysia as GSA's preferred logistics solution provider, and the potential joint promotion of Aramex's innovative express and logistics services by GSA as a representative covering APAC and the Middle East.

By leveraging Aramex's investments in cutting-edge technologies, automation of warehouses and hubs, and expansion plans for warehousing capabilities and value-added services, the MoU will foster seamless operations and enhanced customer experiences.

It also embodies a shared vision of excellence and capitalises on the burgeoning opportunities to further fuel economic growth and reshape the logistics landscape in APAC and beyond.

-- BERNAMA

LEDDARTECH RELEASES PRODUCTION SAMPLES OF THE LEDDARVISION FRONT-ENTRY (LVF-E) COMPREHENSIVE LOW-LEVEL FUSION AND PERCEPTION SOFTWARE FEATURING THE TI TDA4VM-Q1 PROCESSOR FOR L2/L2+ ADAS APPLICATIONS

LeddarTech’s LVF-E’s “B” sample featuring an embedded ECU introduces an unprecedented industry-first solution that brings high performance and reliability of low-level fusion to the entry-level ADAS market

QUEBEC, June 30 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeddarTech^®, an automotive software company that provides patented disruptive low-level sensor fusion and perception software technology for ADAS and AD, is pleased to announce that “B” samples of its LeddarVision™ entry-level ADAS L2/L2+ highway assist and 5-star NCAP 2025/GSR 2022 low-level fusion and perception software stack optimized for the TDA4VM-Q1 (8 TOPS) processor from Texas Instruments are now available.

The LeddarVision Front-Entry (LVF-E) product, formally released in late 2022, was designed for customers seeking to develop entry-level ADAS safety and highway assistance L2/L2+ applications. Introducing the “B” samples brings exciting advancements to LVF-E powered by a Texas Instruments (TI) TDA4VM-Q1 processor. By leveraging these “B” samples, LVF-E delivers substantial cost and performance benefits for low-level fusion, paving the way for accelerated L2/L2+ systems adoption. In addition, this breakthrough effectively reduces the sensor and processor requirements, making it more accessible and efficient for widespread implementation. The LeddarVision Front-Entry solution also marks the first design where TI’s highly integrated and cost-efficient TDA4x processor family has been featured in a low-level fusion solution. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=46513

NIPPON EXPRESS EUROPE AND LUFTHANSA CARGO CONCLUDE SAF AGREEMENT

TOKYO and FRANKFURT, Germany, June 30, 2023 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

Nippon Express Europe GmbH (hereinafter "NX Europe"), a group company of NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., and Lufthansa Cargo AG (hereinafter "Lufthansa Cargo") contractually agreed on June 20, 2023, to advocate the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) when transporting airfreight shipments. The environmentally friendly aviation fuel will enable the Nippon Express Group to achieve emission savings of approximately 3,150 tons within one year. Furthermore, the agreement reached with Lufthansa Cargo includes contributing to high-quality and certified climate protection projects for the so-called well-to-tank emissions that arise during the production and supply of SAF. Logo of Nippon Express Group: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202306216489/_prw_PI1fl_9bd06Oph.jpg Logo of Lufthansa Cargo: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202306216489/_prw_PI2fl_38S8riio.png Image: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202306216489/_prw_PI3fl_87J574WD.png The Nippon Express Group has set the goal of a 50% reduction in SCOPE 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2013 as a response to climate change, and of contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by 2050. Nippon Express Co., Ltd. aims to reduce emissions by 350,000 tons by 2023, equivalent to a 30% reduction from 2013 levels. In May 2023, NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. submitted a Letter of Commitment to be certified as a Science Based Targets (SBT) company, and the entire group is working together to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050. "We have enjoyed a trusting long-standing relationship with NX Europe as a Global Partner. We appreciate working jointly with NX Europe also on sustainability goals that are important to both of us. Every player in the logistics industry has a model here, and only together can we succeed in making our business more environmentally friendly along the entire supply chain. The more Sustainable Aviation Fuel is used in the transportation of goods by air freight, the more likely we are to succeed in moving away from fossil fuels, making the entire air freight industry more sustainable," highlights Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. "We at the Nippon Express Group remain mindful of the environmental effect of the increasing demand for air freight. We fully acknowledge this reality, and we must move quickly to take action to slow global warming. This agreement to advocate using SAF represents a step in the right direction on the way to a greener future. Together with Lufthansa Cargo, we are honored to embark on this journey to meet our sustainability goals and fulfil our ongoing commitment to combat climate change," emphasizes Shinichi Kakiyama, Managing Director of NX Europe.  http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=46506